The New Era
by AnonymousDarkWriter
Summary: The destinies of Xiaolin Dragon Masters are to save the world from the Heylin, therefore new monks must take the current places to avoid a horrible war. What can happen when the Xiaolin Dragon Masters come to train the new monks? Meanwhile, dark forces threaten to beat the new monks. (OC's, RaiKim and possible ChasexOC) *Takes place way after Chronicles* *fast paced action*
1. Growth

Please excuse any grammatical errors, I'll come back to them as soon as I can.

**For anyone who's curious, this story is not linked to Reign of Fire, or the sequel. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the review, or through PM.**

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1.

The snow was slowly melting away, leaving behind small droplets or large puddles. Springtime was approaching. Although the air was still cold and the winds blew every which way, many of the little crawlers had come back from their slumber. Tiny ants had merged to the surface in large numbers as sleeping birds had just open their eyes to sing their first tune of dawn.

Dawn.

It's too early to start the daily chores, thought the old monk. He was probably known by another name years ago, but the old man that took him in called him 'Omi'. It was a perfect name, fitting his personality. He would rather give orders than take orders… But that was so long ago. He was only a mere boy with a strong, ambitious attitude. Indeed, he was meant to lead, but he found himself in the end leading himself from the biggest situations. Another monk had taken his role after he had taken it back. Perhaps he was never meant to lead others.

A birthday. There's a birthday today, but he can't quite remember whose. "Ah, yes," he said to himself wearily as he scratched his wrinkled head, "Clay. It is Clay's birthday today."

He takes a seat in his previous master's chair, the old monk always sat on whenever he and the others would train. Master Fung's time passed a long time ago, when each and every monk was sworn in to become the four greatest Warriors to ever be known: Xiaolin Dragons.

To never marry; to never have children; to hold back from true love and other forbidden intentions.

Omi had no trouble from suppressing such things… He knew his destiny. He knew exactly the troubles it would cause for swearing in and take responsibility, but he did it anyway.

Six years ago, Master Monk Guan had disappeared from his youth and time finally caught up with him. With no one to teach the new generation of monks, the present ones made their decisions to resign early from their titles: Omi at age 53, Kimiko at age 55, and Raimundo and Clay at age 56.

It was peaceful. It was quiet. Dawn.

The one named Kimiko Tohomiko fluttered her eyes open as the sunlight hit the earth. With the quietness in the temple, she assumes everyone is still asleep.

As she sits up, she rubs her weary eyes with her middle and index fingers. She had grown old overnight, she thought as she looked at the large mirror hanging in front of her. The old sleeping mat she slept on was replaced with this bed. The walls were a dull, gray color and the white curtains were the only contrast in the room. She was no longer the cheerful girl she was 42 years ago when she first arrived here. All the lines, the wrinkles, had grown clearer. The scars of many battles were slowly disappearing, blending with her pale skin. She knows she had changed. Every day, there's a new wrinkle, or a new white hair. Before she cared a great deal about how she looked whenever she faced a battle, but she came to learn that it didn't matter. She will be coming back to the temple with a new cut, a new bruise, or a broken limb. There's no point.

She let her legs drape over the side of her bed. The sound of Raimundo's snores from the room beside her rang in her ear, only one of them, because she had grown deaf from the left after a big battle between she and the Heylin Witch, Wuya.

Raimundo. Every morning she would awaken with a temptation to kiss him gently on the lips, hoping he would feel such excitement she felt whenever she would see him… Forty-two years since they arrived and thirty-seven years she spent wanting to be with him; to have a family with him.

She runs her tired feet over the cold floors, searching for her warm slippers. She finds one, but the other one is on the other side of the room, far from her reach. With a sigh, she forces her body off from the mattress and shuffles toward the other slipper and pushes her foot in.

The robe was still hanging on the coat hanger like she left it the night before. Kimiko pulls it and then puts one arm through the sleeve and then the other.

The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire opens the door. Her blue nightgown beneath her robe (she could have sworn she lived in a retirement home) was similar to the ones she would wear to bed when she first arrived.

She stepped outside and silently walked through the hallways. Although she was old, she was still quick. There's no light in here. The small windows on each end of the hall were completely shut. She sighed, walking towards the nearest one on the left side of the hallway. She tugged gently at the tiny curtains and parted them.

A single yawn left her tired eyes watery. Its too bright, she thought to herself, but it's a beautiful day.

Beyond this window, she caught a glimpse of Omi sitting on Master Fung's chair, overlooking the courtyard and training grounds. Poor guy, Kimiko began to think. He misses the old master.

Kimiko parted from the window and walked through the obstacles that were the hallways. Candles and homemade lanterns only lighted most of the halls. It was dark most of the time. Darkness was never Kimiko's friend. She was the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire. She is warmth and light. She is fire. Darkness may not have ever been her friend, but she never feared it. She has the scars to prove her bravery against the dark.

#

The streets were flourishing with residents, citizens, and tourists. Monday mornings were constantly busy. With the buzz of the coming cars or motorbikes, tweets of chattering birds, and the hums of the people, the city was alive.

It was still somewhat cold, but the schoolboys and girls kept alive and warm. Within these walls of the private school, the students quietly waited to be sent to their classes. One teenage boy in particular, Gregory Lee, had hidden himself away from the others. He ate a simple puff pastry that he paid for on his way to school. It was large and golden brown with pork and bean paste filling, something he always ate back in the States from a Latino-friend named Jonathon.

He keeps to himself every morning for the past two years. This tree he sat beneath was always his quiet place in school before going to class, or during lunch.

Gregory brushes away his dark, brown hair from his eyes as he tapped his foot against the ground. His headphones were on and music was always something he loved. Rock and roll legends like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and even Elvis comforted him before exams. They even comforted him when his parents decided to come to Vietnam to be close to his dying grandmother.

He didn't like the idea and still didn't. It's been two years. "I don't want to move," he argued, but they wouldn't listen.

"But Vietnam," his father would say, "has always been your real home."

He disagreed with him. His father was born in Florida, but even so, he loved Vietnam. He wanted to be with his mother and Gregory could not argue against his wishes, or his grandmother's dream.

"Besides," his father would continue through out dinner, "home is where you make it."

Gregory Lee never made real friends here. Sure, he would talk to some girls, or some boys, but it would always be for the same thing! Can you help me, Gregory? Gregory, how do you say this in English? _Gregory? Gregory?_ What's the answer for number two? _Gregory?_

_"Hey!"_ A familiar voice rang in the air.

Gregory tugged on the cords of his headphones and popped the buds right out of his ears. He looks up and sees the face of the school bully. Everyone calls him Ty, so that's what his name could be. He and his three other friends had become Gregory's personal tormentors since the day he arrived here. Ty was the tall one with the brown hair.

Gregory never learned the others' names because there was no point. They were Ty's bodyguards, his minions, and the fellow tormentors.

"Hey, stupid," he called. He had a thick accent. Ty didn't speak much English, but he learned several words from hearing Gregory speak, or online videos.

But Gregory didn't know much Vietnamese. His parents didn't speak much Vietnamese since their jobs required English. Even they had accents when they spoke the native tongue.

"Ya mad?" Ty taunted as he leans over. Extending his arm, Ty orders the other three to keep an eye out for the professors and other students.

The bully tugs Gregory's hair for a second and then shoves his head into the dirt. Gregory groans in frustration as Ty laughs away.

As Ty extended his arm a second time toward his face, Gregory kicked him away, causing Ty to become angry, flushed in a shade red.

Gregory snatched his phone and ear buds from the ground and stuffed them into his pocket. Great, he thought as he patted his pants, Mom is going to freak when she sees my uniform.

He hears Ty speak with the others. Although Gregory did not understand half of the time when Ty spoke fast, he was able to understand two different things: "belt" and "hit him".

And so, the shortest of the gang proceeded to remove his belt. Gregory watched in horror as the short one handed the leather, black belt to Ty.

Ty laughed and so did the others as the leather came to contact with Gregory's leg. He screamed, they laughed. Some of the other students became curious and wanted to know what was happening, but the other two forced and threatened to keep away.

A second time, the leather belt came down and this time to the arm.

"Ya mad, stupid?" Ty taunted as he laughed heartedly.

And then Gregory felt it. It was anger. It was fury… Hate.

As the third slash was coming down near his face, Gregory kicked his arm and then pulled him down to Gregory. Ty groaned and called for the others to help, but a red gleam in their victim's eye warded them off. Stay back, Gregory seemed to be telling them.

First it was a spark, and then a flame. Flames that ignited themselves engulfed the beautiful tree. The three others ran in fear.

"He's a witch!" they screamed in Vietnamese and the other students screamed as the flames became bigger and much more dangerous.

Ty screamed as he felt his arms sting from the intense heat. It was as if Gregory were controlling the flames and burning his arms with a single touch.

Anger. Fury. Hate.

#

The sounds of screaming children rang in the air. They couldn't swim, or at least some. Already two had become unconscious from fear. Their bodies helplessly drifted from the other five children that slapped and kicked the water. The sun was visible (it was only 8:30 A.M). The screams had startled the people near the trails. The Serpentine Lake was beautiful, but the children that were drowning had made this beautiful environment seem deadly.

"How did they get there?" ones asked as they watched in horror.

Several men had come to strip themselves to their boxer shorts to dive into the ice-cold water. There were still clusters of ice formations in the water, but the lives of these children were at stake. Two of them helplessly drifted off as they came to save these five children.

Some were reunited with their families as ambulance trucks made their stop and policemen had come to surround the area.

Angelica watched beside her parents. She felt a great need to do something, but didn't know how she could do this. Angelica knelt onto the ground and removed her mitten. The teenager then proceeded to touch the surface of the water.

She closes her eyes and only thought about the two children left in the water. Beneath her palm, a solid surface had come to form. She looked down into the water with amusement as an ice-path to the middle of the water was forming. Angelica Greene smiled in wonder.

No one was watching because the policemen borrowed canoes from two bystanders. Angelica pushed firmly onto this ice path. It did not crack, nor break. With a deep breath, she rose from the ground and stepped onto the ice. Nothing. It was strong and unmovable. One step. Two steps. Three.

Mr. Greene turned to hug his daughter, but she was now gone, walking on the ice formation towards the two children who were still drifting. They were motionless. They might be dead.

"Angelica!" Mrs. Greene called. "Get back here!"

The men and women and children that watched the first rescue gasped in horror and amusement as Angelica proceeded to ignore her parents.

The teenager's blond hair drifted with the wind. "Where's the rest of the path?" She asked herself as she looked down. The bridge stopped here.

She got to her knees again and crawled closer to the left edge. One of the children floated helplessly here. If they awaken, she thought, they could become afraid and drown. Extending her arm, Angelica Greene only pinched the wet fabric that was this child's sleeve. The boy's eyes were closed and his lips were beginning to turn blue. They were blue and almost deadly.

"I'm not letting you die!" the English girl protested and pulled him closer to the edge.

The second child was far from her reach, all the way out there to the center of the lake.

"We're coming!" a policeman called as he took his first step onto the ice.

Angelica placed her ungloved hand back into the water in hopes that there will be another formation like the first. Only ice crystals formed around her hand. She panicked. She knew they wouldn't get to this child quick enough.

Go to him, Angelica thought.

The girl turned to see her worried parents. She was a hero for one child, but would she be so for the next?

Go, she thought.

Angelica closed her eyes and pushed herself into the water. The crowd gasped as Mrs. Greene screamed in anguish.

"But she can't swim!" she cried. "She can't swim!"

There was a stinging sensation on her cheeks and hands. Angelica opened her eyes and realized that she had jumped into the lake. There was a feeling to want to gasp and breathe, but she could drown even more.

Maneuvering her hands upward, she pushed and kicked the water beneath her, moving herself towards the surface where the child's body was floating.

Her ears were now numb. And the ice formation was slowly disappearing. For one reason, or another, Angelica felt that if she waved her palm in the water beneath the child, then maybe ice would form. There was no possible explanation to why the bridge formed in the first place, and now she truly believed she had the power to make that happen.

And it did. A cradle-like formation grew beneath the child and Angelica felt overwhelmed with joy. She is special. She made that happen. She pushed and kicked the water again and again until she reached the surface beside the child.

This was a miraculous sight that many of the men and women removed their wooly hats amazed the onlookers. Angelica shivered beside the child, but saw that his chest continued to heave. She removed frost that had formed on his eyelashes and saw his eyes flutter open.

"It's o-okay," Angelica whispered and her body drifted with this cradle. Her eyes closed.

#

The earth shook. Campers that slept underneath the cliffs and rock formations were completely unaware. This shaking ceased only a few seconds after. Katrina Paz slept far from the others because that's what she liked: isolation and peace. She felt the earth move, but didn't think much of it.

It was a small earthquake. No biggie. She pulled her black hair from her eyes and turned her back against the other sleeping campers. She never wanted to come with science class, but it beat spending her days indoors with everyone else she grown to hate.

Again. The earth shook, but this time she felt the tremendous force. She rolled on her back and hit her head against a rock. She felt the pain, but didn't think much of it. Katrina gasped and took a good look at the side of the mountain.

They're too close, Katrina thought. Way too close.

Beneath her palm, a crack had opened from the ground. She wrinkled her eyebrows as she put her other palm down and again, another crack.

Her heart beat faster than ever and she jumped to her feet. More cracks had formed beneath her. Is this a sinkhole?

"Hey!" Katrina started to shout. "Wake up, you idiots!"

Some opened they eyes only slightly and began to feel the rumbles of the ground. The science teacher rose to her feet.

"Girls!" she shouted. "Wake up!"

As the old woman urged the others to rise from their sleeping bags, Katrina looked up to see that parts of a cliff were beginning to break free from the mountain itself. It was a bad idea to camp beside a mountain, but no one gave it further thought.

"It's coming down!" Katrina shouted.

The teacher and most of the girls screamed as they ran off.

Something urged Katrina to push forward and to break the others free from the sleeping bags. Three of them remained stuck; either the zippers refused to cooperate, or they were stunned by fear.

Fear. She felt it now more than ever. The large rocks on the Cliffside shook. Katrina screamed and ran towards the three campers. She saw the rocky cliff come down in broken pieces, dust, or large wholes as it hit other rock formations. No. She can't be too late.

She stomped on the ground to stop herself from continuing. There was no point trying to save them when they were already condemned to die. She took a step forward, only a single step and cracks beneath her formed again. She raised an eyebrow and then got to her knees.

As Katrina placed her hand onto the dirt, she felt the earth shade again and more cracks formed. Suddenly, she felt her hand push down onto the earth and she came down a few inches in a shallow hole. Another time, she pushed the earth and the hole increased to find the three campers. A large piece of earth came down to them and Katrina screamed as she saw the others in despair.

Four rock-like pillars merged to the surface and shot straight through the rock.

Katrina's heart continued to beat fast. "Get out of there!" she screamed. "Now!"

The three girls freed themselves from their sleeping bags, tent and fear. They ran in horror to the teacher's side.

It was a shallow well that warped straight across.

"That is not normal," the science teacher said.

Katrina was still on her hands and knees, stunned by what had occurred. She turned to face the teacher who was consoling the crying girls.

"I never… Why did…" the teacher pauses for a moment. "How did you do that?"

#

Jimmy Stone lay awake at night. He has school the next day, he knows, but he was just lying there. The test tomorrow will determine whether or not he will get that cell-phone he was pleading for the past three months.

The ceiling fan above him slowly shook, causing dust to fall in his eyes. Jimmy shook his head and brushed the dust from his shirt and rubbed his eyes. A strange sound came from the ceiling and he saw how the base of the fan broke free from it. He gasped and raised his arms in the air as the fan came down fast.

Jimmy didn't hear anything or feel anything. He opened his eyes and saw the fan floating above him. He kept his arms erect towards the large object that wanted to meet the floor.

"Mom!" he shouted. "Dad!"

He felt his energy slipping the more his arms stayed above his head. He moved only slightly, and the fan followed his movement.

The door opened and both parents gasped.

"Look!" Jimmy said excitedly. "Look at it!"

"What's happening?" his father asked.

"I don't know," Jimmy replied, never loosing sight of the fan. "But I'm doing that."

Mrs. Stone gasped. "Jimmy!" she said, causing her son to turn and look at him.

This loss of concentration made the large fan come tumbling down beside the bed. Mr. and Mrs. Stone looked at their son in bewilderment.

#

The Xiaolin Dragons formed a circle with the other elder monks and meditated quietly. A large gust of wind seeped through the window, causing each and every one of them to open their eyes and look at one another.

Kimiko looked down to her hands and then turned to face the Xiaolin Dragon Master of the Wind, Raimundo Pedrosa. "Did you feel it?"

"The breeze?" Raimundo jokingly said.

"No… That _shift_."

The others turned to see her.

Kimiko harnessed her inner energy. A small flame forcefully appeared in her palm, but suddenly vanished without her will. "Someone's harnessing my elemental energy," Kimiko said.

The elder monks rose to their feet. One named Long hid his hands in his robe sleeves as he joined them together.

"It is time," he said as he bowed to the Xiaolin Dragons.

Omi felt a strange sensation in his body. He did not feel faint, but he didn't feel the similar energy he felt this morning. Clay Bailey continued to feel the vibrations of the earth, but for some reason could not connect to it as before. Raimundo Pedrosa, their leader, felt powerless against the second gust of wind.

"Time for what?" Kimiko asked as she rose to her feet.

"The shift of energy. The new chosen ones."

Fire. Wind. Water. Earth.

The four Xiaolin Dragons knew this day will come, but it was soon, too soon.


	2. Unraveling Destinies

_Please excuse any grammatical errors, I'll get back to them as soon as i can._

_**I hope you like reading this as much as I liked writing it. I will warn you, though, there are "bad words", of course it is my reason to why this story is rated T. For RaixKim shippers, prepare yourselves :)**_

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2.

Unraveling Destinies

"I don't understand how Gregory could have started that fire," Mrs. Lee protested.

The office was somewhat cramped with all the bookshelves and the large desk. Principle Truong stirred the tea in his mug as he looked at the worried mother and father in the eye.

"Four witnesses believe your son did this, and we are not going to stop investigating," he said. The man in the beard had a similar accent to Ty, but was still understandable. He took his mug and sipped some of the tea before putting it back down for another stir.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Lee began to say, "But my son is a very respectful student! He will never do such a thing, I… I know he had some trouble with those other kids, but my son would never go to such a length to scare them."

"Every parent says that about their child, but we don't know what they're capable of, now do we, Mr. and Mrs. Lee?"

They stayed silent.

Principle Truong sipped his tea another time, put the mug down, and looked out the window. "It will take a long time to rebuild that courtyard."

It was covered in blanket of ashes. The tree was nearly gone and half of the grass was scorched. There was nothing left besides the unharmed buildings and walls.

"Where is he now?" asked Mrs. Lee.

"In the other room with the police."

The old woman took her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes. She shall not cry here, or show any sign of defeat. No. They cannot take her son.

"This must be very difficult, but I assure you that-"

"Where are the other boys?" she interrupted. "Surely, Gregory must have had something to start the fire; a match or a lighter. Did they mention anything about that?"

"Well, I, uh, didn't ask them. I'm not the one questioning the boys."

Mrs. Lee and Mr. Lee got up from their seats in defeat. Their son will go to jail and they will have to find a good lawyer.

#

Extended beeping noises echoed in the air. Angelica Greene fluttered her eyes open and looked in all directions. She is hooked to machines and Band-Aids on her hands and arms hugged her tightly that she proceeded to rip them off.

"No, no, dear," a nurse said as she ran towards her. "You shouldn't do that."

Angelica ignored the nurse and ripped one off her skin, taking some of her small hairs from her arm. "They're too tight," she said.

"Okay," the English woman said. "I'll come back with new ones and I'll put them on again."

She wasn't dizzy. In fact, Angelica felt very well. The teenage girl knew exactly why she was here. She saved two children. Help. Angelica loved helping others. It was in her blood since her father is a doctor and her mother is veterinarian.

To her left, a brown teddy bear is perched with a note from her mother.

_Get well soon, sweet heart,_

_Love Mom._

Angelica smiled. Her parents' affections toward her always made her feel warm inside. She needed them as much as they needed her.

"Alright, dearie," the old nurse said as she came through the door. "You seem pretty well for someone who jumped into that water." She takes her hand and began to rub some ointment, or something, onto the cuts in the skin. "Your mother tells us you don't know how to swim, but managed to save the second child. Must be a hero, huh?"

Angelica felt good. She knew she did something heroic, but even so, she is less than a hero to anyone besides those two children. "Somewhat, I guess," she replied.

"Not to worry," the woman said. "The boys think you are. Their parents left you notes when you were still sleeping."

"Oi, Cynthia," a man called from the hallways.

The nurse turned. "Over here," she called.

"We need some help downstairs. Poor old woman fell from her chair."

"I'll be back," the nurse, Cynthia, said to Angelica as she placed the last band-aid onto her cut. "Don't mess with them, okay?"

Angelica watched the woman run out of the door.

The cuts aren't even that deep, Angelica thought as she lifted one flap of the band to see it. So, she proceeded to rip them off her skin again.

#

Jimmy's parents looked at their son with caution. Mrs. Stone, a true believer of the paranormal, gripped her bible when her son stepped into the kitchen.

"What's this?" Jimmy laughed. The bright, orange shirt contrasted brightly against his dark skin the closer he got to the table where the sunlight hit the hardest.

"Son," his father proceeded. He put down the newspaper. "What the heck was goin' on in there?"

Jimmy shrugged. He had a large smile on his face. "I dunno'," he quickly replied. "But it was awesome, right?"

"It was weird," his mother said as she let go of the bible. "Since when can you do that?"

Jimmy scratched his head. "The first time that happened was three weeks ago. I thought it was a coincidence because my window was open."

"What did you do?" Mr. Stone asked.

"I made the papers blow away from my desk. I thought it and swung my hand in the air like this…" Jimmy swayed his right hand across their faces. "And they came off my desk."

"Oh my Lord," the woman began to say, placing her open hand on the bible. "I think my son may be the next Jesus."

"Don't be ridiculous, Clare!" Mr. Stone said. He couldn't help but laugh at her statement.

"It was only a joke," Clare Stone said. "But I'm worried."

Jimmy looked at his mother's large brown eyes. "Why would you be worried?"

She sighed and looked at the newspaper. "It's all over the news. Four people with extraordinary powers constantly saving us when we don't even know."

"You mean the Xiaolin?" said Jimmy. "They're always on the news about something. To be honest, the world's beginning to be my fantasy land."

"I have a strange feeling that they would come and take you from us," she finished.

Mr. Stone looked at his son and then his wife. "They don't even know he exists."

"They will," she says. "Because one of them can pull stunts like that in the air, too. Our son is gifted, Thomas. I know he is."

#

The Paz children were separating the dishes and distributing them onto the table. They were silent, listening to the audio of their old television as their mother checked on the rice, beans, and pork chops. Katrina was among the other two distributing the dinnerware. Her younger brother looked at her strangely, having been the last one in the household to hear about the strange earthquake encounter. Right now, Katrina was the strange one, well, stranger than ever.

"Stop looking at me like that," she grumbled as she placed a fork onto a napkin.

The eldest Paz child, Janette, couldn't help but stare as well. Rock formations. Her? She controlled the weird pillars? She shakes her head and laughs to herself, hoping to pry away any attention from her angered sister.

"You're all very quiet," Mrs. Paz said. "Everything alright?"

Tony shook his head and slyly smiled toward his mother. "Besides Kara's sudden control of the ground, yeah, everything's cool."

Kara is her nickname. Katrina groaned in annoyance and slammed the forks onto the table. "Keep your mouth shut, Tony! Nothing happened!"

"Okay," Mrs. Paz urged. "Don't be so angry. It's all on perspective."

"Perspective? You weren't there and now you all assume I'm a freak!"

"I never said that!" Tony said. "You're bringing these things to yourself, you weirdo!"

_"Will you all please shut up? I'm trying to watch the news!"_ Janette urged.

They all silenced and focused on the news anchorwoman.

"With the earthquakes passed, an interesting story had brought our attention to the mountains of Yosemite Park in California. Apparently, a few campers had come to witness the forces of nature used in ways you've never imagined. A teenage girl known to be Katrina Paz had…"

Katrina pulled the remote from Janette's hand aggressively. "You little shit!" she mumbled.

"That is enough, Katrina!" her mother shouted.

"Fuck this," she said out loud. "I'm going to be the laughingstock of the entire school!"

"Well," Janette said as she looked at Tony with a smile, "you can always throw rocks at them."

"AAarrgh!" Katrina groaned and threw the remote back at Janette.

"Katrina!" her mother shouted again.

"Whatever, I'm not hungry anyway…" And she stormed out of the kitchen.

#

As they grew older, training had come to be much more of a task.

Kimiko tried her best not to show any interest in training with the others. Ever since she became Xiaolin Dragon Master of Fire, she lost interest in working with them since they could all train separately. She did this, too, to find something else to focus on instead of the strong affection she had for Raimundo. Living under the same roof is not the same.

Raimundo had grown to become used to fighting with Clay and Omi. Kimiko had isolated herself from the group and he only came to two conclusions: (1) She is a girl and she feels excluded or (2) He had done something to hurt her.

Thirty – seven years had passed and Kimiko never spoke to Raimundo the same way, nor did she hug or kiss his cheek after a famous victory. No. Never again. He felt something towards her sometime before, but as the time passed, he couldn't seem to be open with her. He couldn't, after all, their oath required abstinence and complete loyalty to their Xiaolin order. Indeed their pure bodies and hearts were valuable to keep the tradition running and to keep their energies flowing well.

Any little distraction can cause chaos.

"Will you be requesting anything special from the kitchen today, Clay?" Kimiko asked. "The cook wants to know."

"Does he 'ave anythin' in mind?" he asked. Even after so many years of living among the Asian monks, he never dropped his accent.

"Not exactly."

"Then, I dunno' either."

Kimiko sighed. "Barbequed ribs it is…" She walks away from the men and heads toward the kitchen doorway.

Raimundo watched her walk away. Her physical features were the first thing to attract him, and then her intelligence.

"When this is all over," Raimundo said, "Do you think Kimiko will still want me?"

Omi, still being rather shorter than the others by a few inches, looked up to see Raimundo. The desire in this man's eyes was greater than the firepower Kimiko possesses.

"Per'aps," Clay answered.

#

Kimiko walked into the kitchen to find the cook. They only hired him two months ago after the other had fallen sick. He was an excellent cook.

The kitchen is clean. None of the Xiaolin monks ever really comes here unless they have a request for a meal, or need refreshments.

"Barbequed ribs," Kimiko says. "I made the decision, by the way. He couldn't make up his mind."

The cook smiled. "I understand. So many choices. Too bad we are all born with one stomach."

"Luckily mine is larger than yours," the little green dragon suddenly said.

Kimiko smiled. "Too large, if you ask me, Dojo."

He put his claws on his sides and rolled his eyes. The belly of his hung down low, making his appearance almost comical. "Hey, don't make fun of my belly."

"Sorry, Dojo," she replies, "But maybe if you were more active…"

"Well it's impossible. We've found all the Shen Gon Wu Master Dashi had hidden and what am I supposed to do? Die?"

"Perhaps you do need a break," Kimiko said jokingly.

Dojo's eyes widened. "No… Dragons cannot die unless they are slain by a human or killed by another of their kind. If none of that happens, then the world is stuck with me for another hundred years."

She shakes her head and takes a seat on the chair.

Dojo scratches his chin. "Something's bothering you."

"I'll see you later," the cook says and steps out of the kitchen with his baskets and the list of groceries.

"I was hanging onto the idea of letting my elemental power go so I can start a normal life, at least, as an old woman… But now, if that happens, I may not ever see you or the others again."

"And what of it? Maybe you can finally get married like I read in your diary." Dojo quickly covers his mouth with his claws.

Kimiko quirks up her left eyebrow. "Who is going to want to marry an old woman with thousands of wrinkles and hundreds of scars?"

"Raimundo," he replies.

Her heart nearly sinks. In fact, her heart nearly stopped. "You're going to give me a heart attack, Dojo."

"He loves you. It's easy to see. Whenever he sees you, his heart beats faster than when he runs. That man loves you."

Kimiko smiled, but then closed her eyes. "I just can't."

"What?"

"Fire and wind can only cause destruction. I think we're better apart."

Dojo chuckled. "Wind makes the flames stronger. How many times must that be said for you to get it through your head? Fire and wind may cause destruction, but it also makes the flames grow to any extent you want them to."

"I never understand why I go to you for love advice, my friend," Kimiko said as she places her hand on her forehead.

Dojo cracks his knuckles and leans against a heavy flower vase that stands in the center of the wooden table. "That's what I'm here for…"

#

Four different places in the world. Four. Gregory Lee remained hidden in the darkness of a jail cell in Vietnam. Angelica is forced to keep herself on her hospital for the time being in England. Jimmy locks himself in the school bathroom to conduct his own experiments with gravity in Washington, DC. Katrina Paz keeps herself isolated in the back of every classroom in California, although she can very clearly hear the whispers of the events that occurred only two days ago.

#

Angelica focused on the water next to her bed. Nothing similar to what occurred at Serpentine Lake happened here. Nothing. Did she imagine it? Or was there still ice in the water and she managed to walk across thin ice? She takes a deep breath and takes the cup into her hand. Her mother watches her in curiousity from the small couch near the window. Angelica taps the water a couple of times and ice crystals formed, and then a chunk of ice, and then everything.

"Look," Angelica whispered. "Did you see it, Mother?"

She did. And she could not believe it.

#

A couple of inmates began screaming for the guards. As soon as they arrived to Gregory's cell, the young teenager looked at the guard.

"I have nothing on me," he says to them. "But I can imagine flames and I can make them happen."

"You're crazy," the guard tells him and demands him to go to sleep.

"No," Gregory protested and he snaps his fingers, causing enough friction between his thumb and index finger to cause a spark. "You see?" He does it again, and this time two small flames appeared onto the fingertips.

The guard stood, dumbfounded. "How?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Gregory said.

He knew that if he revealed to this guard about him being able to do this trick, perhaps they would use it against him as evidence that he indeed started the fire. But he knows he's untouchable. This gift; this weird gift he now possesses belongs to the legendary Xiaolin Masters. They are spoken about every day here. Although no one has ever seen them present, they are the most talked about than the celebrities in America, or Asian soap operas. They can't touch him.

He's safe.

But for how long? Until when?

#

"Here she comes," several girls whispered, but none of them dared to say it out loud. The school quad was completely packed with hungry students eating their lunches. Katrina had no interest in being surrounded by everyone who looked at her with judging eyes.

They're either afraid of me, or they're curious, she thought. Perhaps it's both.

Several of the girls that went to camp with her claimed to see the shallow well being made when Katrina knelt on the ground. They were panicked, Katrina thought, they imagined it.

Katrina never had friends. She never associated with anyone. She is the girl society refers to as the 'Goth' or the 'emo kid' because of her heavy eyeliner, love for rock music, and dark clothing. All it she wears is black jeans and a black sweatshirt because she liked it. She never slit her wrists, not did she ever have sympathy for the dead as society puts it.

She walks to an empty bench near the shading of the trees.

Several boys see her and pick up two rocks. They want to see something happen. They need to see it happen. So the jock throws one of the rocks to a girl that was near Katrina.

The isolated girl gasped on got to her feet, shouting, "Look out!" causing the students to look at the direction of the shouting girl.

The victim of the jock turned and saw Katrina, long before being saved from a giant, merging spike that stopped the rock from hitting her. It was unintentional. She didn't want to control the earth, she wanted for the girl to hear her warning. Why is this happening?

Everyone turned to look at her in amazement. The jocks laughed, as the others remained silent. This was different. This was strange.

Katrina picked her bag and books and rushed out of the quad with hundreds of student eyes following her every move.

"Where's she going?" they murmured.

The victim of the jocks ran to the rock-thrower and smacked him hard against the face. "You asshole," she said and ran to search for her savior.

#

Jimmy came home from school happily with the greetings of his mother. He looked at her in the eye and told her about new tricks he learned with the air. Jimmy tells her that this new power he has is hard to conceal.

"I want to be like them," he says. "I know I always thought it was crazy, but I like the idea. I want to be like the Xiaolin."

* * *

_**One thing I'd like to ask you, is how are you liking my OC's? **_


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